The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-03-23
The Courage of a Young Convert
Rewarded.

a pastor was holding extra meetings
in school-house in rich rural neigh
borhood. A wealthy farmer living a
mile distant had not attended. nor had
any of the family, when the wife, an
Unconditional woman, but of rare good
sense, went to the meeting one even
ing. Although it was the first one she
had attended, she was convicted of her
sins, sought the Lord, and was happily
converted before the meeting closed.
Her special cross now was to tell her
husband of her new experience Reach
ing home, she found the family had re-
tired. Her husband, arousing from
sleep, said: "You are a little late
home" EYES," she said, 81 have
been to the meeting and I've been con-
verted, and | want you to come with
me-" He was silent a minute or two
and then said: Mary, you could not
have done thing that would have dis
pleased me more. Don't ever speak
of it to me again. Come to bed" 1t
was the most abrupt remark he had
made TO her in twenty years of welded
life. But she knew his will, and not a
word was spoken until the morning
inv Niu iol lHc
whole night commended his case to
God. She also knew that he was far
from having a night of rest. Farmer
like, they ate breakfast by candle-light
No sooner was he seated at the table than
he said: children, your mother says she
was converted at the meeting last night,
and she won't want to eat without a
blessing being asked. So keep still
while she asks one" The good woman
knew that the trick was mean, but
would not deny her Lord. She asked
the blessing the best she could. There
was silence during the meal. When
the hired man pushed back to leave
the room the man of the house said:
My wife says she is converted, and
of course she will want to read and
pray before we 60 to work; you better
sit down." Nothing daunted, the per-
secuted but saved woman, without a
murmuring word, set herself to the I'M
tried work, read chapter, and, kneeling
alone, prayed. AS the son was leaving
the room the father said 8 In an hour
you hitch the gray horses to the cutter
Your mother and l are going to c. for
visit" Ordinarily he was kind
husband, consulted his wife about So
cial and business affairs, and few homes
were in better accord. But this was
the first intimation to the wife of the
proposed visit Shall she submit, and
thus be ignored? Shall she leave the
meetings where she hoped her children
would be saved? These and other
similar questions were pressed on her
conscience, yet somehow she believed
God was to be glorified even through
this abuse. In an hour she was seated
by her husband and silently they drove
twenty miles, when he refined up to a
hotel and ordered dinner. When they
entered the dining-room few board
ers and half-dozen commercial trav-
elers came in. With knife-handle
the man raped, and as the company
looked about, he said: My wife says
she was converted last night, and she
will not want to eat unless she asks a
blessing. Please keep still while she
says grace" Although faced by twenty
strangers in this cruel arraignment, yet
she would not deny her Lord, and in
stammering utterances thanked him
for the food before them. There was
no jest uttered, and the meal was eaten
in silence. An hour later and the
team was brought, and the man turned
the team toward home. After they
had gone few rods the wife said /:
"This is not the way to c." L
know it," and, bursting into tears, he
said: " Wife, I've used you mean; but
you've got the real thing, and IN going
to the school-house tonight to see if |
can get converted" The rest of the
story is short. The days were but few
before the whole family, including the
hired help, was converted. She who was
put to such unjust and unnatural tests,
but who demonstrated her conversion
by untlinching Christian courage, has
seen her husband a leading and worthy
official in the church of God for many
years. "-NOrthern Christian Adcocate.